Legal action is an important process. There's a world of timely opportunities. We've seen a significant number of countries, including Indonesia, Morocco, Burkina Faso and Colombia, take direct action. Many children have been released so that prisons don't become places of contamination. Incidentally, some questions must be asked both in Canada and abroad about what action should be taken under these conditions.
As you said, this also carries a risk. Do you take these children out of prison and ultimately leave them to their own devices and see other patterns of exploitation emerge?
There's a great deal of variation. However, many organizations have been working to support these processes and to ensure that, ultimately, releasing these children is only a step rather than an end in itself.
A great deal of expertise has been built up in this area. This morning, UNICEF held a global webinar, highlighting lessons from the past nine months regarding justice for children and the work done in this sector.
We could also talk about Yemen. Children are being put on the front lines without access to humanitarian rights. This violates the United Nations Security Council resolution 1612 and many other applicable international laws.
The situation is extremely troubling, since all the children's rights are potentially being violated. There are no control measures to help them. Once again, I'll repeat the messages of my two colleagues: the local structures are there.
How have these structures been used in the past to prevent or lower risk? It's through prevention and local action, hence the value of both.